adminPamela Shumba Senior Reporter
A WOMAN accused of sending “offensive” messages to former Miss Zimbabwe Bongani Dhlakama is an employee of mobile phone giant, Econet, The Chronicle can reveal. Dhlakama, 27, dragged Thandazile Victoria Ndlovu, 42, over abusive WhatsApp messages she allegedly sent in a fight over a man, Bongani Ndlovu, 42.
Bulawayo magistrate Charity Maphosa last week removed Thandazile from remand after Dhlakama indicated that she wanted to call a witness from South Africa. The trial will proceed by way of summons.
It has now emerged that Thandazile, who was divorced by Ndlovu in 2012, allegedly used a company-issued phone to send the offensive message.
Thandazile works for Econet’s mobile money arm, EcoCash, at the corner of Connaught Avenue and Robert Mugabe Way in Bulawayo.
As an employee of Econet, Thandazile would have been acutely aware of provision of section 88(a) of the Post and Telecommunications Services Act which criminalises “sending any message that is grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or threatening character” over the phone or other telecoms device.
Thandazile is accused of sending the offensive message on September 16 last year to a mutual friend who then forwarded it to Dhlakama. In it, she undercounted her age and exaggerated the age difference between her ex- husband and his new fiancé.
The message read: “I’m just surprised . . . 20 years difference imagine! It’s obvious she wants my kid’s money. Why can’t she find a man of her own age, unless she has a serious problem? I know she’s your friend on Facebook.
“You know what, she could have been Miss Zimbabwe but the lady who broke my marriage and had a kid with my hubby is more beautiful than her. Yena it’s only complexion.
“Worse Keith, I’m 40-years-old and you know how I look. What more of my hubby, he’s 43. This is what I mean, she wants money. What made her not go and marry a 30-year-old? Seriously she is a wh***, a gold digger who just wants money.”
Thandazile dodged questions from The Chronicle since last Friday. Yesterday, she answered her mobile phone briefly before saying she was driving while promising to call back. She never did.
Dhlakama, who claims she met her fiancé Ndlovu in 2013, a year after his divorce was finalised following his separation from Thandazile in 2011, accused her love rival of failing to move on.
She told The Chronicle: “I only came into the picture after my fiancé had divorced his ex-wife. I’ve nothing to do with their divorce. She sent messages to my friend accusing me of all sorts of things.
“She wants to tarnish my image because she’s bitter and can’t get over my fiancé. I decided to make a report to the police to punish her for constantly phoning my fiancé.”
Dhlakama said despite the fact that Ndlovu had divorced Thandazile, she kept on calling him, disturbing their peace.
She said she was shocked to learn the “vitriolic messages” were coming from an Econet employee, using a work phone starting with the staff numbers 0772-222***.
Online Reporter